Othello Is Mainly About...

“Othello is mainly about…”William Shakespeare’s Othello is a unique tragedy in which it focuses on the cause and effect of love. Love is the strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything, whereas to be in love is when an individual has a profoundly tender, passionate affection as well as feelings of warm personal attachment for another person- it is not found but just falls upon a person. By studying Othello, it can be derived that the love felt between certain characters is based on various factors: lust, pity, dependence. All of which are interrelated with the other, thus, the quality of love shared among each character is questioned. Much of the love shared between the two central characters: Othello and Desdemona, builds the foundation of the story’s plot, as the changes that it undergoes leads to some of the most significant actions made. The love in the relationship of Othello and Desdemona is initiated in a tight bond filled with overwhelming passion. Othello loves Desdemona as an extension of himself. Their marriage is sustained by an idealized vision of Desdemona serving as the sole object of his projected romantic passion. She is not only his love but love itself, banishing all chaos from the universe as suggested by the allusion to the classical legend that Love was the first of the gods to spring out of original chaos… “I do love thee; and when I do not,/ Chaos is come again”…Even the sight of her after a short separation can cause for surplus happiness… “It gives me great wonder as my content/ To see you here before me. O, my soul’s joy”… Othello’s insistent love and increasing dependence on Desdemona proves to be fatal, as not only is she killed, but him also- this is as a result of her “disloyalty” to him. It is through Iago’s duplicitous persona, which allows Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. In his tainted frame of mind, Desdemona’s sexuality becomes an unbearable threat to him, sparking ideas of her...

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...﻿Towards the ends of Othello both Emilia and Desdemona are confirmed as tragic heroines. Throughout the play, Emilia is beaten down by Iago, as a result of the gender inequality of the time and her low status as a woman. In the last scene though, she finally breaks through this and finds her voice and stands up to patriarchal domination, which leads her to her death, confirming her to be a tragic heroine. Differently, Desdemona starts off as being independent; standing up against her father by marrying Othello against his will. But throughout the play she becomes innocently complicit and naïve to Iago’s scheming and in addition, her marriage encourages her to behave as a woman of the time should and be submissive to Othello. Therefore, despite her innocence at the end of the play, she succumbs in tragic obedience.
The character Emilia’s perepeteia during Othello is in giving the handkerchief to Iago during the middle of act three. During this scene she shows herself as the typical Venetian woman when she says ‘what will you give me now for that same handkerchief? Highlighting, that her loyalties to her husband come before her loyalties to Desdemona. Furthermore later on in the scene when telling the character Iago of the handkerchief ‘that which so often you bid me to steal’ this is the audience’s first hint of Iago letting someone in on his plan. Which is also the audiences’ first hint that Iago has Emilia...

...tragedy Othello is about a Moorish general in the service of Venice who is lured into murderous, self-destructive jealousy by a scheming subordinate. Andrew Davies's modern retelling is set in New Scotland Yard and has all the Bard's wit, romance, pity, and terror -- and then some.
Davies is the screenwriting sensation behind a fascinating mix of theatrical and Masterpiece Theatre productions including Bridget Jones's Diary, The Tailor of Panama, Take a Girl Like You, Wives and Daughters, A Rather English Marriage, Emma, Moll Flanders, Pride and Prejudice, Circle of Friends, Middlemarch, House of Cards, and To Serve Them All My Days.
An accomplished author as well, Davies has published a collection of short stories, Dirty Faxes, and two novels (and their companion screenplays), Getting Hurt and B Monkey. In addition to numerous children's books, he has also written for children's television, including two series of Marmalade Atkins.
Davies has won numerous awards, including an Emmy, two BAFTA awards, three Writers Guild awards, three Broadcasting Press Guild awards, and a Monte Carlo Television Festival award.
In the spring of 2002, Masterpiece Theatre will present his adaptation of Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now and the following season his version of Boris Pasternak's epic romance of the Russian revolution, Doctor Zhivago.
Davies discussed his version of Othello in a recent conversation with Masterpiece...

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OTHELLO
The characters’ motive draw out the idea of jealousy, which leads to the tragic outcome of
the play. Othello was first performed in 1604 and written by William Shakespeare. Did you
know that In the Middle East, where the myth survives that Shakespeare was in fact an
Arab, he is still sometimes fondly referred to as Sheikh al-Subair, meaning Sheikh 'Prickly
Pear' in Arabic. That was just a fact and for you’re own information. Anyway The play
Othello demonstrates the power jealousy can hold over people. At one point or another,
every person experiences jealousy, and whether it is sexual or otherwise, jealousy can be a
very dangerous emotion. Because jealousy plays on the trust one develops in relationships,
it easily can result in feeling violated and betrayed.The play Othello, though written
hundreds of years ago, still captivates audiences with it's portrayal of the desperation one
feels when jealousy is present. Although many years have passed since written, people can
still relate to Othello because human nature does not change. We all question those who are
close to us, and whether or not they are loyal. Othello demonstrates the disastrous
consequences that may ensue when a person capitalises on the jealous nature of another
human.
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Othello's jealousy towards Desdemona is perhaps the strongest emotion. The jealousy he
experiences turns him insane...

...William Shakespeare's play Othello, written in 1603, is set in Venice and follows the 'valiant' general Othello who is manipulated by Iago into his own downfall; being the murder of his wife then suicide. The play explores some of the deepest characteristics of human experience, including moral decay, emotional suffering and strong moral acts. This is driven by the themes of jealousy, appearance versus reality, and honour. These and other elements consolidate together presenting a play with an enduring and deep value, enabling it to remain through time as it can resonate with many. Good morning class. Act 3 scene 3 and act 5 scene 2 demonstrate these dark human characteristics that occur mainly to Othello; the tragic hero.
Othello's morals quickly deteriorate soon after Iago plants a seed of jealousy in his mind, as he becomes so enraged with emotion that he can no longer make judgements of what is right and wrong. Othello, in act 3 scene 3 has the utmost respect for his wife: 'Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again.' Othello protesting his undying love for Desdemona foreshadows chaos to come when he no longer loves her. Dramatic irony here illustrates the crucial part in the play where Iago's plans begin in motion. Othello's language and tone drastically changes from here to act 5 scene 2: 'Out, strumpet! Weep'st thou...

...﻿Kevin Tran
English 1AA3
November 14, 2013
Sean Ngo
Othello: True love in Othello
Love between two people is based on mutual attraction and trust. Trust is one of the most important qualities in any relationship and it makes or breaks that bond. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the relationship between Desdemona and Othello is convoluted and it can be seen in different ways. It is clear that after his corruption by Iago, Othello’s trust in Desdemona is broken resulting in both their deaths. However it can be seen in the beginning acts of the play that Othello internalizes the prejudices against himself and becomes self-hating. A result of Othello’s racist environment it causes him to force an idealistic image of a perfect marriage in order to prove himself equal to those around him. I argue that Othello cannot truly love Desdemona, not as a result of his race, but the racist savagery of his white peers.
The first image shown regarding Othello is full of racist imagery that would cause a 17th century audience to produce a caricature of an inferior, “An old black ram that is tupping your white ewe (I.I.89). In the following scene Shakespeare cleverly tears the character of Othello into two halves. One half is the perceived savage beast that is described in the earlier scenes of the play, being searched for by the kinsmen of Barbantio to answer for his crimes of...

...‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster.&amp;quot; (Act3.3) Describe the changes that Othello undergoes as Iago succeeds in arousing his jealousy.'
From Act One to Act Three of ‘Othello', we witness the course of Othello's transformation from the beginning of the story to Iago's success in arousing his jealousy.
Let us first take a look at Othello's character in the very beginning. When Othello first appeared in Act 1, Scene 2, he was a good, honest man, who was domestically a loving husband, and politically a highly respected general who knew his own value.
In the scene, Othello showed us his confidence in his reputation and importance by saying, in lines 19-20, ‘My services which I have done the signiory/ Shall out-tongue his[Brabantio's] complaints', and in lines 32-33, ‘My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly'. Apparently, at this stage, Othello was conscious of his importance to the state, and he valued his title and reputation highly. Such attitude towards his career would later be transformed.
In lines 25-28, Othello told Iago that ‘But that I love the gentle Desdemona,/ I would not my unhoused free condition/ Put into circumscription and confine/ For the sea's worth'. From his speech, we can see not only his deep love for Desdemona, but also his straightforwardness. To Othello, the love between him and...

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Justice born from imperfection
William Shakespeare’s Othello unfolds the tragic story of honorable but gullible General Othello who is manipulated by crooked and scheming Iago. Iago pretends to be a good friend of Othello at the very start and gradually plots a scheme to make Othello think that his wife Desdemona is cheating on him, which leads to Othello killing Desdemona. Iago’s wife, Emilia, plays a very important role in revealing the truth about Iago’s lies. More realistic and older than Desdemona, Emilia grows a strong bond with the general’s idealistic wife. Though Emilia loves her husband, upon discovering that she was used by her husband in implementing the plot to bring about the destruction of Othello and Desdemona, she reveals the truth about Iago’s plot in front of everyone. Shakespeare makes Emilia personality cynical and pragmatic; however, her guilt and sense of justice redeem herself to be best character in “Othello.”
There are three different motivations, which help to portray Emilia character. Firstly, Emilia’s frail morality is depicted when she steals Desdemona’s handkerchief to please Iago for her desire and says, “What will you give me now for that same handkerchief?” (3.3.321). That scene was vividly pictured in Oliver Parker film “Othello” in which Emilia and Iago lying on the bed and Emilia...

...﻿CA Titles
Explore how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic technique to present doubt and uncertainty in the minds of Othello and Macbeth.
Both Emilia (or Desdemona) and Lady Macbeth are characters in difficult circumstances. Explore how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic technique to present the stresses they endure.
Explore how Shakespeare uses language and dramatic technique to present the weakness in the characters of Othello and Macbeth.
Plan
1. Iago and the witches act as catalyst in the plays as they introduce new ideas into the play, was well as Macbeth and Othello. Furthermore throughout, they develop on their own thoughts and ideas, provoking the two main characters further.
2. Both Iago and the witches give some insight, but never provide Othello and Macbeth with the whole picture. Therefore, both O and M facntasize and demand for more, become more and more intrigued and interested with their “stories”.
3. M and O are both satisfied with their positions and relationships at the beginning of the plays, however this certainty declines throughout the play, with the assistance of Iago, LM, and witches. These three characters plant doubt and uncertainty in the minds of O and M, as they become less confident with themselves and the ones around them. They are manipulated.
The advisor
Insecurities
Soldierly qualities
1) Jealousy/power/greed/insecure
2) Influences
Plant...